CANADA JAY. 



whiskey jack. moose bird. 



Pemsoreus canadensis. 



Char. Above, ashy gray ; head and nape smoky black ; forehead 

 and lower parts whitish gray ; breast brownish gray ; wings and tail 

 dark ashy, tipped obscurely with white. Young; uniform dull smoky 

 black, paler beneath. Length, ii to 12 inches. 



Nest. In a coniferous tree ; a bulky but compact structure of dried 

 twigs, shreds of bark and moss thickly lined with feathers. 



Eggs. 4-5 ; of light gray or bufSsh, spotted with dark gray, lilac gray, 

 and pale brown ; 1. 15 X 0.80. 



This species, with the intrusive habits and plain plumage of 

 the Pie, is almost confined to the northern regions of America, 

 being met with around Hudson's Bay, but becoming rare near 

 the St. Lawrence, and in winter only straggling along the coast 

 as far as Nova Scotia. Westward, occasionally driven by the 

 severity of the weather and failure of food, they make their 

 appearance in small parties in the interior of Maine and north- 



